


Birthday Picnic

by thraxbaby



Series: The Arcana Birthdays [10]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: It's Muriel's birthday!, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-14 01:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20592110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thraxbaby/pseuds/thraxbaby
Summary: It's Muriel's birthday and he spends it with the people who love him.





	Birthday Picnic

It was September again. In the past, Muriel had hated his birthday. It was just another reminder that he had arrived in this world unwanted. Or so he thought. Since meeting Manny, he had changed so much. They traveled far to the south, to his homeland and found his family had wanted him, that they loved him, but they had sent him away for his own protection. He had friends, a family. 

This year, he celebrated his birthday with his family. They had set up a picnic in a clearing in the woods. Asra was there with Julian, a very pregnant Ramona, and their twins. Mazelinka invited herself. Nadia and Portia came, too, and of course, Manny and Alejandra. Manny had set all this up for him. To show Muriel that he had people who loved him. 

The food they all brought over was fantastic. Muriel had always insisted he didn't care what he ate - a leftover instinct from trying not to be seen as a burden - but in reality, he loved trying different foods. He liked spicy and sweet and savory. Asra had brought Muriel's favorite dish of eels, Nadia brought a curry dish popular in Prakra, and Portia made him a cake drizzled in honey. All of this was for him. 

The kids ran around the clearing with Inanna and Alejandra's young rooster, Tabasco, and made flower crowns. Manny's daughter, Alejandra, ran up to Muriel with a flower crown. She motioned for him to come down to her height, so he kneeled before her. 

"I made you a flower crown." She signed. She placed it on his head and smiled. "Now we match!"

Muriel signed back "thank you" and hugged the girl. She signed "love you!" before running off with her cousins. 

"You look cute." Muriel blushed at Manny's words. "How are you doing?" 

"I'm good. Thank you." 

"Not getting overwhelmed?" Manny asked. 

"No." Muriel answered. Manny pressed a kiss to Muriel's cheek. The two men sat together, sampling each dish that had been brought. 

"¡Ay dios mio! This is good!" Manny exclaimed. Muriel made a yummy sound in agreement. The eel was cooked to perfection, not too chewy, and perfectly seasoned. The rice complimented the eel, soaking up the grease and adding a bit of spice. And the cake! After the savory and spicy blend, the sweetness of the cake tasted all the much sweeter. He loved the taste of honey. Bees weren't something he wanted to deal with, so honey was a rare treat Asra occasionally brought him. 

The cake was a good distraction when his friends came forward to give him gifts. Asra made him a knitted blanket in mossy colors. It felt soft and warm and was big enough to cover both himself and Manny. Asra must have been working on this all year, if not longer. 

Nadia gifted him a new outfit. A forest green tunic with white embroidery along the hems and a pair of brown pants. It looked nice enough to wear at the Palace, and yet, the material was sturdy enough for wearing every day. It had been made to his exact measurements so Muriel knew it would fit perfectly. 

Ramona gave him two big jars of her homemade fruit jam. He was going to look forward to eating it on his morning toast. He spotted Alejandra eyeing the jars and wondered who wanted it more, him or her. 

The Devorak twins handed Muriel homemade clay figures - one a turtle and the other a butterfly. He thanked them before they ran off to play again. Alejandra came forward as well and gave him twigs fashioned into a picture frame. Inside the frame was a child's drawing of him, Manny, Alejandra, Inanna, and Tabasco. Muriel thanked her, insisting it was beautiful and promised to put it up in the hut. The girl smiled wide and ran off with her cousins. 

Finally, Manny came forward. He looked nervous. 

"Muriel, I... We've been together for a long while and I love you more than I can even put to words. So... I was wondering... Hoping... Will... Will you marry me?" Manny dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring. It was a simple gold band, but still nicer than anything Muriel ever owned. The plate Muriel had been holding dropped out of his hand. He stared in shock at Manny. 

Muriel dropped to his knees and held Manny tight, whispering "Yes, yes, I will marry you. I love you." Tears of joy escaped both men, sobs and laughter at the same time. When the emotional tide ebbed, Manny slipped the ring onto Muriel's finger. 

Muriel glanced over to their friends, who were all clapping and cheering for them. His cheeks went red. Asra practically knocked them over, pulling them both into a hug. 

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two! Can I plan the wedding?Please? I already have so many ideas!" Asra said excitedly. 

"We'll think about it." Manny said. Alejandra came up to them with stars in her eyes. 

"Does this mean you're going to be my Papa, too?" she signed. Muriel nodded. He... He was going to be her father. She already felt like his daughter and now it would be official. She jumped into his arms and he held her close. 

"I love you both so much." Muriel said. Alejandra hugged him tighter. This was his family, now. And he wouldn't trade it for the world.


End file.
